Rewind
by HotChilliGriffin
Summary: Kate takes a bullet and Mike rather rightly blames himself. For those who like to use a little brainpower while reading.


Author Note: Apologies to anyone who read this story after I first posted it here. All the formatting was removed, which honestly means the whole thing doesn't make a scrap of sense.

* * *

**Rewind**

He heard the subtle change in her breathing as she stood. "Kate?"

"I'm fine."

"As tempting as it is to make you walk until you're willing to admit you're not fine, I don't want you dead."

"It's just my shoulder."

"Yes, which is just attached to the rest of you."

Glaring at him, she didn't see a tree root jutting out of the ground in front of her, and tripped. Mike grabbed her arm, supporting her with his own body; she tried to pull away, pain flared, and she cried out. While she was distracted, he took the chance to get her uninjured arm around his shoulders.

"Let me walk," she hissed. He took a step forward, and her grip on his neck suddenly tightened.

"Is it still bleeding?" he asked.

"No."

"Okay. Now, is the bullet hole in your shoulder still bleeding?"

She threw him a dirty look, and he peered around to her left side; but there was so much blood caked over the area, he couldn't tell how fresh it was.

"Have I mentioned that I hate you?"

"Now is not the time, X."

"That's right. Pull rank. And no, it's not still bleeding."

"Good. We're nearly there."

"Good. And then I'm getting a transfer. And then I'm going to hit you. And after that, I'm never going to talk to you again."

He sighed. "I deserve that."

* * *

"Are they gone?" she asked, her jaw clenched.

"I think they're gone."

"We've got to… we've got to get off this island."

Mike glanced down. "Kate? You alright?"

"Fine. Let's go."

"You're bleeding."

"Good thing there's no sharks around, then."

His fingers gently touched her shoulder, and she swallowed a whimper. The expression on her face was enough to answer his unspoken question, however.

"You're bleeding a lot… shit, Kate!"

"It's not bad."

"You've been shot."

"Thanks, sir, for pointing that out."

"But you didn't say anything!"

"We need to get back to the ship. Until we do. There's nothing. You. Can. Do." Her breathing quickened and her sentences grew shorter as he pressed his palms against the wound. The blood poured out, faster than ever. Mike pulled off his shirt, bundling up the thin fabric and pressing it against the wound.

At some point, he noticed something. The bullet had gone all the way through her shoulder, but the larger hole was at the front.

"Kate?"

"You done?"

"Kate…"

"What?"

"The exit wound is at the front."

"How observant of you."

Mike felt dread slide down his spine. "You were shot from behind."

His horrified eyes met her cold ones. "Don't," she warned. "Let's just get moving."

"Can you walk?" he asked, throat dry. She nodded. "Okay. Stay on my right, I'll keep the pressure –"

"I can keep the pressure on myself," she snapped. His grip on her shoulder wavered, and she pushed him away. She grimaced as she rose to her feet.

* * *

There was utter silence in the clearing. Mike was desperate to stand up, to see if they truly were alone, but he knew that such a move could be fatal.

Minutes passed. No more gunshots. No more sounds of people. Kate was half-crouching, half-lying on the ground in front of him, and he could see her listening intently. Slowly, he started to slide forward, one hand still gripping the gun, wincing at the sound of leaves crackling beneath him. No attack.

Keeping his eyes on the clearing beyond the tree, he gently touched Kate's shoulder, and she flinched.

* * *

There was no warning. One minute, they were walking through a small clearing in the middle of the jungle, hoping to get back to the ship; then suddenly the air was full of bullets. Amidst the sharp crack of at least three guns, Mike was able to get one thought through his head – _take_ _cover._

He grabbed Kate's shirt and hauled her backwards, behind the closest tree. Both of them crouched down, trying to cover their heads. Mike reached behind him, found the gun, and grimaced. He had six shots remaining. Four men he couldn't see, six bullets, no backup...

Kate glanced back at him, her expression screaming, _'Do something!'_

He fired three shots in quick succession, waited a moment, then fired a fourth. There was a yelp of pain from the other side of the clearing, and the gunfire stopped. Mike swallowed. _One is injured. Take him home, leave us._

Silence.

The sound of footsteps shuffling in the leaves, hushed voices.

Then nothing.

* * *

Mike carefully moved his right hand up, around, twist...

The rope loosened, and he smirked to himself. Nearby, Kate frowned. He glanced back at their captor. One armed man against one man and a bound woman. The best odds they were going to get for a while. She nodded.

"Hey," he called, and the guy looked over. Mike stepped forward, trying to look as if he was just going to ask something. The ruse didn't work for a second – the gun came up, a warning to back off; then a blur of movement, Mike had the gun in his hands, and the guy was on the ground, out cold from a blow to the head.

"Where do I come in?" Kate asked wryly, as Mike quickly untied her.

"You stay right beside me, and we get to the south side of the island," he instructed, tucking the gun into his waistband. "Buffer will be there, hopefully with Hammersley nearby."

Glancing around warily, Mike placed one hand in the small of her back, and they started moving south.

* * *

Three men, three guns. Two officers, two guns.

Mike and Kate exchanged a glance from the corners of their eyes.

"Drop your weapons," the man in front said, glaring down his rifle at them, finger on the trigger. Cautiously, they did so, barely daring to breathe. The man jerked his head, and the other two stepped forward. The one on the right pulled Kate's hands behind her, and as he bound them he pressed a rough kiss to her neck, raising an eyebrow suggestively at her disgusted expression. A low growl sounded in Mike's throat, and he didn't notice a length of cord being wrapped around his own wrists.

"Where's Bill?" one of their captors asked.

The leader's eyes narrowed. "We'll go find him. You mind these two. If they move, shoot them."

The third man nodded, his pistol already aimed at the two officers. As the other two moved away, Mike realised the rope around his wrists hadn't been knotted very well.

* * *

"This is it all right," Mike confirmed. "Looks abandoned." He keyed his radio. "Team X-Ray, join me here now."

"You think they're coming back?" Buffer asked, as Kate, Spider, and Swain came towards them.

The CO considered. "One way to find out. Move in, slowly. Don't touch anything. If we're separated, radio the ship and meet at the south side of the island."

"Yes, sir."

In a small depression below them was a small shack. It didn't look at all impressive or important – but if it was what they were looking for, then it was the hideout of some very wanted criminals.

The first shot was fired when Buffer was three steps into the open. He stumbled backwards as the dirt at his feet exploded, and the rest of the search party backed away.

Then came several shots from behind them. Mike swore quietly, realising that they had walked into a trap. He had led them into a trap. Not a very good one, definitely not carried out that well, but it could still be fatal.

"Split up!" he called. "Move!"

He waited; waited to make sure that all of his team were out of firing range. Swain was backpedalling, firing into the jungle to cover himself, Bomber, Spider. Buffer and Kate were moving with them, scanning all directions. He followed – heard a gunshot close behind – turned – fired a shot – kept running.

He barely saw what happened next. Bullets strafed the ground between Buffer and Kate, and the latter had to dive sideways.

Catching up, Mike paused to check on her, even as she jumped back to her feet. But before they could take another step, a man jumped down from a tree in front of them, a rifle pointed at Mike's face.

* * *

...

* * *

"Long day," Kate murmured, thinking over the past few hours. Mike didn't reply, just nodded a little, and she rolled her eyes. "You said you were sorry, I said it was okay."

"You still want that transfer?"

She laughed softly. "No. Just promise me you'll hold back on the friendly fire in future. You know this isn't the first time you've shot me?"

He nodded, the kicked-puppy look back in his eyes as he remembered his fight with Rick Gallagher in the bridge of the old Hammersley, and the subsequent gunshot.

"Do I take too many risks?" he asked quietly.

"No," she replied, though her eyes said otherwise. He gazed at her steadily, and she sighed. "You take a lot of risks. They usually pay off. If you hadn't fired when you did, we'd probably both be dead now."

Wincing as the ship bounced off a large wave, Kate didn't notice his approaching hand until it touched her cheek. She blinked, and met his dejected blue gaze.

"I'm so sorry," he said, yet again and, slightly amused, she sighed.

"And I _still_ forgive you. If that changes, I'll let you know." Her uninjured arm lifted, so she could press her hand against his.

"Can I make it up to you?" he asked.

She swallowed, unconsciously leaning her cheek into his palm. There was definitely something she could think of but... morphine or no morphine, she'd have to wait until her shoulder healed.

"I'll think about it," she replied, eyes gleaming.


End file.
